Tag Archives: plc ladder logic examples

Advanced HMI is a powerful, adaptable HMI/SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) development package that takes advantage of Visual Studio. There is no coding required and you can simply drag and drop items onto the page. The best thing is that the software is free. We will look at using AdvancedHMI with the Productivity 1000 Series PLC.
Our sample Productivity 1000 PLC program will display a digital panel meter and a gauge of a value in the PLC. Stop and start momentary pushbuttons on the HMI will allow this number to increase or stop. An indication will turn green when the number is increasing and red when it has stopped. The AdvancedHMI package will communicate Modbus TCP over Ethernet to the Productivity 1000 PLC. We will be able to monitor our process via the AdvancedHMI window. Let’s get started.Continue Reading!

The productivity series of PLCs comes with 4 built-in communication ports for easy connectivity to your PC or various industrial networks. Serial protocols like Modbus RTU can be utilized with either the RS232 or RS485 ports on this PLC. Modbus RTU is an open (published) protocol that uses the Master / Slave architecture. It’s a very common protocol used in industrial automation controls.
We will be using the RS485 (2-wire) port to communicate to a Solo Process Temperature Controller. Modbus RTU will be the protocol used on this serial communication media. The PLC will be the master and the Solo process temperature controller will be the slave. You will soon see how the Productivity Series of PLC’s is the best way to handle communication to other devices. Let’s get started. Continue Reading!

The productivity series of PLCs has a built in web server. This web server function can make a non secure (HTTP) connection to the CPU. This is done with your browser. You can then view read only system tags and open, save or delete files stored on the micro SD drive.
Previously we stored data logged files on the USB (Micro SD) storage device. We will now start and configure the web server function. Look at the files from our data logger and view the system files available. Let’s get started. Continue Reading!

The productivity series of PLCs has a built in data logger. This easy data logger will log up to 64 tag values on a USB (Micro SD) storage device connected to the CPU. The logs will be stored in CSV (Comma Separated Values) file format. Logging can be triggered by the rising edge transition of a Boolean tag (event) or configured to occur at regular intervals (scheduled).
A USB storage device should be normally connected if logging data. The CPU maintains an internal 73KB buffer for temporarily logging data while no USB storage device is present. Data in the buffer will not be retained through a power cycle. Let’s get started. Continue Reading!

The productivity series of PLCs has a Drum and Sequencer instruction.
Drum instructions are great tools. They mimic an electromagnetically drum sequencer. Have you ever seen the mechanisms of a music box? Ok so it’s a little drum with pegs that catch and flick the chimes in a particular sequence to play whatever tune is on the drum. So in the PLC you can have a drum driven by an event, (input from a limit switch or button), or by time.
Sequencers are similar to the drum instruction. The sequencer output can have up to 16 Boolean, Integer or Numerical Tags per step. Drum instruction outputs are limited to the same 16 bit (Boolean) outputs. Each step in the sequencer can be defined by time or /and event and specified outputs can be set going into and out of the step.
We have done similar Drum instructions for the BRX Series PLC and the Click PLC.BRX PLC Drum Instruction – VideoClick PLC Drum Instruction – Video
We will be discussing the drum and sequencer instructions in the Productivity Series PLC. Simple examples will be done to demonstrate the power of these instructions. Let’s get started. Continue Reading!

Shift registers will move (shift) bits in a word (register) to the left or right.
If we look at an example of boxes moving along a conveyor belt, the boxes would represent the bits in the register. The movement of the conveyor would be the shifting of the register that represents the movement of the boxes.
Shift registers are a form of sequential logic, which involves the present inputs and the prior history. All of the prior history is remembered.
We will be making a shift register in PLC Fiddle with the instructions provided. The output of the shift register will then be looked at for a reject area. Let’s get started. Continue Reading!

The program control method and instructions will allow us to specify what parts of the logic get solved and when this happens. This will control how the PLC will scan and solve your logic in your program using a synchronous PLC Scan. Understanding the PLC program scan will explain the synchronous and asynchronous program scanning.
Individual ladder logic programs get solved left to right, top to bottom. The result of the rung before is available for the next rung. The Task Management provides a method to clearly see the overall flow of your PLC program. Looking into the folders of the task management we can see blocks of code. These blocks of contain the ladder logic that will solve our logic. Instructions within the ladder logic code can also determine how the PLC will solve the logic.
We will be looking at using program control in the Productivity 1000 Series PLC.
Let’s get started. Continue Reading!

Just about every program usually has some data comparison instruction. This is the ability to compare information from one area of the controller to another and act on results. The output of this comparison conditions the logical continuity of a rung. PLC Fiddle is a free online browser simulator and has the following compare contact instructions.= (if Equal contact)<> (if Not Equal contact)> (if Greater Than contact)>= (if Greater Than or Equal contact)< (if Less Than contact)<= (if Less Than or Equal contact)We will be looking at these instructions along with some programming challenges. As a system integrator, this ability can prove very useful to you in the field when commissioning your automation system. We will look at these compare instructions and show the parameters required to program them. Our compare challenges will help you gain a good understanding of how we can use compare in the PLC. Trying these challenges with PLC Fiddle is fun and will help you with PLC programming. Let’s get started. Continue Reading!

An array is a storage area for a group of common data type tags. They usually have some relationship to each other and need to be manipulated as a group.
Previously we defined an array and use this in an indirect addressing program. It sequenced bits in an output card indirectly. We then looked at the following instructions: Array Statistics (STA), Copy Array (CPA), Fill Array (FLA) and Shift / Rotate Array (SRA). We will now look at the final four array instructions:Pack Boolean Array (PBA) – Pack an Array of Boolean tags into a destination Word ArrayPack Word Array (PWA) – Convert one 8 bit or 16 bit array into a 16 or 32 bit Destination Array tag.UnPack Boolean Array (UPBA) – Unpack an Array of Word tags into a destination Boolean Array.UnPack Word Array (UPWA) – Convert one 32 or 16 bit array source tag into four 8 or 16 bit array tags.
Let’s get started with our final look at arrays in our Productivity 1000 Series PLC. Continue Reading!

PLC programming will often involve math equations that need to be solved. Every manufacturer of programmable logic controllers will include math logic for you to use in your programs. Numbering systems play an important role. You can usually perform math using BCD (Binary Coded Decimal), Binary or Floating Point. Here is a link that will review the numbering systems in the PLC:What everyone ought to know about PLC numbering systems
PLC Fiddles provides four basic BCD math and a move function for our circuits. Add, Subtract, Multiply Divide and Move. We will look at these math instructions and show you the parameters required to program them. Our math challenges will help you gain a good understanding of how we can use math in the PLC. Trying these challenges with PLC Fiddle is fun and will help you with PLC programming.
Let’s get started. Continue Reading!